IRS integration (Advanced): Requesting and viewing transcripts

Getting transcripts directly from the IRS is easier than ever: find out how to request, view and manage transcripts for each client, whether individuals or business, right in TaxDome.

Covered here:

• Before you start
• Requesting transcripts
• How do I know when a transcript request has been completed?
• Viewing transcripts
• Searching transcripts
• Filtering transcripts
• Printing transcripts
• Downloading transcripts
• Deleting transcripts

Before you start

• Make sure your IRS connection is set up for the client account you are requesting transcripts for.
• Check the access rights: transcripts can be requested by a firm owner, admin or any team member with the Manage IRS transcripts access rights. 
• To request transcripts for a certain client, you will also need a Centralized Authorization File (CAF) number, and you must have authorization through Form 2848, Power of Attorney or Form 8821, Tax Information Authorization.

Requesting transcripts

1. Go to the  Docs tab in the client account, then select the IRS subtab and click Request transcripts.

2. Fill in all the fields, then click  Request.

The details you need to provide slightly differ for individual and business taxpayers.

Coming soon: you'll be able to obtain transcripts for Payroll forms as well as save the CAF number for each team member to reduce duplicate data entry.

Individual

Check out the numbered items to see what details you need to add:

1. Taxpayer type: select the type of taxpayer recorded in the IRS. 
2. Contact: choose the individual you need transcripts for among the contacts linked to the client's account.
3. Taxpayer ID number (SSN): type in the social security number of the individual you need transcripts for. It may be filled in automatically with the number provided in the contact's SSN custom field.
4. Legal first name: enter the individual's first name recorded in the IRS. It is filled in automatically with the contact's first name.This field can contain alphanumeric characters, as well as the following special characters: the ampersand, apostrophe and hyphen (&, ', -). 
5. Legal last name: enter the individual's last name recorded in the IRS. It is filled in automatically with the contact's last name. This field can contain alphanumeric characters, as well as the following special characters: the ampersand, apostrophe and hyphen (&, ', -). 
6. Transcript types: select one or more types from the list of available transcripts: Wage and Income, Verification of Non-Filing, Record of Account, Tax Return Transcript and Account Transcript. By default, transcripts for the previous tax year will be requested, but you can adjust the year in the Advanced preferences.
7. Advanced preferences: click to open the sidebar for customizing the type, year and tax period of transcripts you request. More details in the section below.
8. Organization: select an organization you've connected to the IRS that will request transcripts.
9. CAF number: enter the Centralized Authorization File number to obtain authorization for your organization.

Business

Check out the numbered items to see what details you should add:

1. Taxpayer type: select the type of taxpayer recorded in the IRS.
2. Contact: choose the contact associated with the business you need transcripts for among the contacts linked to the client's account.
3. Taxpayer ID Number (EIN): type in the employer identification number of the business you need transcripts for. This field may be filled in automatically with the number from the contact's SSN custom field.
4. Business name in IRS: enter the business name recorded in the IRS. This field is filled in automatically with the name from the contact's Company name custom field. It can contain up to 30 alphanumeric characters and the following special characters: the ampersand, apostrophe and hyphen (&, ', -). 
5. Transcript types: select one or more types from the available list of transcripts: Record of Account, Tax Return Transcript and Account Transcript. By default, transcripts for the previous tax year will be requested, but you can adjust the year in the Advanced preferences.
6. Advanced preferences: click to open the sidebar for customizing the type, year and tax period of transcripts you request. More details in the section below.
7. Organization: select an organization you've connected to the IRS that will request transcripts.
8. CAF number: enter the Centralized Authorization File number to obtain authorization for your organization.

Advanced preferences

By default, transcripts for the previous year will be requested. You can customize the type, year and tax period of requested transcripts in the Advanced preferences of the Request IRS transcripts sidebar:

1. Record of account: select the checkbox to get the full tax history (i.e., Tax Return Transcript and Tax Account Transcript). Or you can select the appropriate checkboxes below to get info on transcript types separately. 

2. Forms: select transcript forms from the drop-down list or click X to the right of the form to deselect it. Depending on taxpayer and transcript type selected, you can request these forms:

• For individual accounts: 1040, 1040NR, 1040A, 1040EZ, 1040NR, 1040SS/PR, 1040NREZ, CIVIL PENALTY, 1040 SEPARATE ASSESSMENT, 706, 5329, 8288, 706NA, 3520A
• For business accounts: 1120, 1120S, 1065, 941, 940, CIVIL PENALTY, 1041, 944, 2290, 990, 945, 943, 1042, 720, 990PF, 990T, 8804, 8752, 940EZ, 990EZ, 1120F, 1120C, CT-1, 5227, 1120H, 8288, 4720, 1041A, 730, 1120A, 1120PC, 1120SF, 1120L, 1066, 1120FSC, 990C, 1041QFT, 1120REIT, 11C, 706GS(T), 1065B, 1120ND, 1120POL, 1120RIC

3. Years: select the tax year of the requested transcript from the drop-down list or click X to the right of the year to deselect it. For Return and Verification of Non-Filing, transcripts can be only between the current year and the previous three years.

4. Tax period month: select the month when the transcripts tax period ends. For individuals, December is the only available month.

Click Save to save your preferences.

How do I know when a transcript request has been completed?

Once your request is complete, you will get a notification in Inbox+ showing the client account name and the number of transcripts received out of the total number of transcripts requested.

Also, you will get an email letting you know the request is complete and telling you the number of transcripts with changes from the previous version, and the number of transcripts with error messages from the IRS with details in the attached file. Here's how to handle errors.

Viewing transcripts

To see all the obtained transcripts for the selected client account, go to the Docs tab, then select the IRS subtab. On the IRS transcripts page, you will see:

• DOCUMENT: the title of the form you received. Click it to view the content or to select the version from the drop-down to the right of the opened transcript
• IRS CHANGES: indicates whether this transcript has changed from the previously received version
• YEAR: the tax year for items in the transcript
• TYPE: the type of the transcript
• CONTACT: the contact you selected when requesting the transcript
• REQUESTED: the date of the transcript request

Click on the up-down arrows next to the chosen column name to sort the list.

Searching for transcripts

To find a specific transcript, type a keyword in the search field — a title, the year of the transcript, or the contact's name — then press enter on your keyboard. 

Click the X in the search field to clear it.

Filtering transcripts

Filtering allows you to quickly find transcripts with certain criteria; for example, all transcripts for 2022. Click the Filter button in the top-right of your screen, select filters and click Apply. There are six ways to filter:

• By contact: see only the transcripts for a specific contact
• By request date: shows transcripts requested at a certain date and time
• By type: see only transcripts of one or more types, Account Transcript, Tax Return Transcript, Record of Account, Wage and Income or Verification of Non-Filing, or all transcripts of all types
• By year: shows transcripts for a specific tax year
• By IRS changes: see only transcripts with changes from the previous version, or without changes, or all transcripts with and without changes
• By document: shows transcripts for specific forms (e.g., only 1040 or 1065)

You can also click on the All requests drop-down to the top-left of your screen to select and view transcripts requested at a certain date and time.

Printing transcripts

To print a transcript, click the three-dots to the far right of the transcript name and select Print. You can find the same link when you open a transcript.

Downloading transcripts

To download a transcript, click the three-dots to the far right of the transcript name and select Download. You can find the same link when you open a transcript.

Deleting transcripts

To delete a transcript, click the three-dots to the far right of the transcript name and select Delete. You can find the same link when you open a transcript.